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Archive for July, 2018

A Move, A Wedding And A Visit

Posted in My Daily Life, tagged , , , , on July 30, 2018| Leave a Comment »

 

A Move

The last couple of months have been crazy and July has been a bit chaotic. After a year and a half of searching for the “perfect” house, Cherokee and Chris were finally able to close on the right house for their family. I had moved in with Cherokee two years ago to help her with bills and the kids. During this process, I had been worried (stressed to the max would be more like it!) that I would not have a place to live. I do work full-time, but do not make enough to support myself independently. This was something that I have struggled with. I hate asking for help! I explored all of my options and realized that none of them were good. It had become a matter of choosing the lesser evil. I was to the point of extreme anxiety (I actually did make a trip to the ER at the end of last September with chest pains) over this situation, when Cherokee and Chris asked me to move with them to help out with the kids. I was grateful, but still debated. In the last few months I decided that this was my best option, maybe for now or maybe forever. I am safe. I am in a position to save for the future and I get to spend time with my grand kids (Haydon 9, Ava 5, Keaton 4 and Christopher 2). We started moving the 6th of July and we are now settled in our new home. We are looking forward to things slowing down a bit, so we can enjoy the yard and our new lives. For Chris and Cherokee, this means discovering the joys and headaches of home-ownership and for me, it means enjoying family time and seeing where God leads. As I write this, 18 chicks have been purchased and a chicken coop is being built. I am grateful for this home. They are newlyweds who have just blended two families with four children and have been willing to throw Nana into the mix. We all come with our own personalities, ways of being raised and perspectives due to our different ages, but if we treat each other with love and respect, it can work. Nothing in life is easy, but with God ALL things are possible!

A Wedding

I mentioned above that Cherokee and Chris are newlyweds. They were married on July 21st. Added to the stress of moving, they were planning a wedding! It was simple, but beautiful. I am blessed to have Chris as my son-in-law and I am blessed to have Haydon and Keaton as grand-sons. I have been amazed at how well the newlyweds have worked together from the beginning and at how well they have blended their families. This is a marriage that will last forever!

A Visit

To add to the craziness of July, Kiowa was able to be here for a few days for her sister’s wedding and my parents drove from California to spend two weeks with us. They were able to be here for the wedding and we enjoyed getting to spend time with them. My parents visit every two years and the time is precious. I take a two week vacation then to spend as much time as possible with them and everything else gets put on the back burner. They left this morning. I miss them already.

I return to work tomorrow and life returns to normal. It is bitter sweet. I am left trying to find joy in the sadness of my parents leaving. I am left trying to calm my anxious heart over the thought of having to return to work. I remind myself that all I can do is embrace the good and surrender the rest to God. He is there in the center of it all!

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When God Sends Us On A Wild Goose Chase

Posted in From My Heart, tagged , , , , on July 30, 2018| Leave a Comment »

 

I received a call from Kiowa (my Air Force daughter) one afternoon, which is not unusual in itself, but she had an interesting story to tell me. She lives about 40 minutes from her base and along her route there is an intersection with stop signs that Semi’s don’t like to stop for. She had told me this before when I visited in May and had added that there are many wrecks due to the Semi’s running the signs and hitting other vehicles. She continued to tell me that on her way to work that morning, she realized that she had forgotten her rain gear and it was supposed to rain. She works outside and rain gear is a must. She was already half way to work, but turned around and headed back home. On her way back to work, as she approached the above intersection she realized that there had been an accident and clean-up was underway. A Semi had hit another car. She did the calculations in timing and realized that had she not gone back, that it could have been her. She drives a small Mazda Miata. Her little 2-seat sports car would not have fared well if it had been hit by a Semi. She said the other car was a larger vehicle and everyone was okay.

Kiowa knew that this was a “God-thing.” She recognized that God had sent her back and had probably saved her life. Many times when we are inconvenienced in any way, we become impatient. We rant and possibly become hazards on the road because we have been inconvenienced and are now in a hurry. We become angry with everyone in our way. We struggle to find God in the situation. I have learned two things from Kiowa’s story:

  1. Be Patient– God won’t always tell us why we are being inconvenienced. He expects us to trust Him and be patient. Our inconveniences may not always be to save us from harm. God may be putting us in a position to minister to someone else. God may be using us to save someone else’s life. There is always a reason for wild goose chases. Be patient when God sends you on one and look around you to see if there is someone who needs a helping hand or simply an encouraging word.
  2. Be Obedient– If Kiowa had not been obedient to the leading of the Holy Spirit, this story could have ended much differently. I thank God for keeping her safe! We need to be obedient in ALL situations. We may never know when God is saving our life or someone else’s life, but when the Holy Spirit starts to lead us down an inconvenient path, Be obedient. God knows exactly what He is doing and sees everything that is going on. Trust Him! He may be saving our life or using us to save a life. Either way, we need to trust that He is in control and be obedient to that nudging of the Holy Spirit.

I learned from Kiowa’s experience. I am not always patient when God sends me back for something I forgot or something comes up at an inconvenient time. I have a tendency to whine and complain. I need to be more like Kiowa. She saw God in the situation. She was able to see the bigger picture.

Dearest Lord,

Give me a patient heart. Help me to see the bigger picture when I am inconvenienced. Help me to see YOU in the wild goose chases of life. Help me be patient when I am inconvenienced and give me eyes to see the “someone” who may need a helping hand or an encouraging word. Give me a heart to love those who so desperately need someone to love them. Help me to realize when you are using me to save a life and more than anything, Lord, give me an obedient heart. Give me a heart that follows the nudging of the Holy Spirit no matter what. I long to do your will. Praise you, Father!   Amen

 

 

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